School of Humanities

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Being human is an amazing journey

The study of humanities equips you to ask and answer the big questions, challenging you to explore where we came from, who we are and where we’re going.

Human experience is made meaningful through culture, language, literature, history and philosophy. Enrich your whole life by gaining a deep understanding of these threads that tie us all together.

Exploring the humanities provides you with the skills to power lifelong career success in any field, with enduring skills in critical thinking, communicating and influencing.

Our disciplines

Classics and Ancient History

This covers the study of Latin and Ancient Greek, as well as the literature, history, art and archaeology of these ancient civilisations, and their contributions to the modern world.

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English and Literary Studies

Studying English and Literary Studies enriches our understanding of major literary, cinematic and theatrical traditions across the globe.

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European Languages and Cultures

We study languages and cultures of Europe: French, German, Italian and Spanish, and look at social and cultural aspects of contemporary Europe.

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History

History is the study of the past and its legacies in the present.

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Philosophy

Philosophy involves thinking about some of the big questions we ask in our lifetime.

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Become a bilingual citizen of the world at the largest language hub in WA

With four European, four Asian and two Classical languages on offer, UWA is the leading institution in WA for language learning.
Immerse yourself in another language. Learn to see the world in a new way. Move between cultures with ease.

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Welcome from the Head of School Alexandra Ludewig

The study of humanities allows us to ask and answer the big questions, challenging us to explore who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Being human is an extraordinary journey, made meaningful through culture, language, literature, history, and philosophy. Through arts and humanities we can harness and strengthen our uniquely human skills, to power lifelong career success in every field. By honing the ability to think critically and creatively, as well as to communicate and collaborate, we prepare our students to be thought leaders with integrity, vision and compassion. In the flexible workforce of the 21st century, these enduring skills are vital, and will never be truly automated. In this time of global challenges, arts and humanities play a pivotal role in articulating our greatest hopes and deepest values. Through the humanities we can turn our production of knowledge into the possession of wisdom. Gain a deep understanding of the past and the present, and shape your future through study in the humanities.

Award-winning teaching

Our staff are consistently acknowledged as the best teachers at UWA. Our award-winning lecturers have been recognised, both nationally and at UWA in the Student Guild’s Student Choice Awards, for their innovative approaches to teaching and supervision. This is backed by membership of some of the world’s most learned academies and a host of international honours.

Dr Catherine Noske

Dr Catherine Noske is editor of Westerly magazine and a lecturer in English and creative writing within the School of Humanities at UWA.

Associate Professor Kathryn Prince

Associate Professor Kathryn Prince is a scholar of Shakespeare and teacher of English and Literary Studies in the School of Humanities at UWA.

Professor Rob Wilson

Professor Rob Wilson is a philosopher and lecturer of philosophy at UWA in the School of Humanities.

Associate Professor Andrea Gaynor

Associate Professor Andrea Gaynor is the Discipline Chair for History within the School of Humanities, and the Director of the Centre for Western Australian History.

Dr Sam Baron

Dr Sam Baron is a senior lecturer in philosophy and senior research fellow at The University of Western Australia, focusing on time travel and physical theories that deny time is real, and on the nature of mathematical explanation.

Associate Professor Tanya Dalziell

Associate Professor Tanya Dalziell is a researcher and teacher at UWA’s School of Humanities.

Dr Dale Adams

Dr Dale Adams is a lecturer in German language, literature and culture in UWA’s Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education, and Deputy Head of Education (Enterprise) for the School of Humanities.

Professor John Kinder

Professor John Kinder is a respected linguist, Italian language and culture specialist, author, language researcher and educator at The University of Western Australia.

Dr Tony Hughes-d'Aeth

Dr Tony Hughes-d'Aeth is Discipline Chair for English and Literary Studies at UWA, and is the Director of the Westerly Centre.

Professor Susan Broomhall

Susan Broomhall is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Professor of History, researching the medieval and early modern world.

Andrew Endrey

Andrew Endrey is a professional Chinese translator and Associate Lecturer in the School of Humanities within the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education.

Professor Hélène Jaccomard

Professor Hélène Jaccomard is a multilingual lecturer and researcher in the School of Humanities within the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education.

Dr Remco Heesen

Dr Remco Heesen is a Philosopher of Science in the School of Humanities, studying the social structure of science, social epistemology and formal epistemology.

Dr Bonnie Thomas

Dr Bonnie Thomas is a senior lecturer of French language and literature. Dr Thomas conducts research on francophone Caribbean literature and is nationally awarded for her teaching abilities.

Dr Christopher Mallan

Dr Chris Mallan is a senior lecturer at The University of Western Australia. He is an internationally regarded educator, historian and researcher, with a particular focus on Ancient Rome.

Dr Ethan Blue

Ethan Blue is a multi-award-winning teacher, researcher and senior lecturer in History at UWA. His first book Doing Time in the Depression (2012) traces the origins of mass incarceration in the United States.

Dr Raquel Bra Núñez

Dr Raquel Bra Núñez is an international Spanish teacher with a passion for linguistics, communication and literature.

Research excellence

The School of Humanities has a breadth of research expertise and hosts several internationally acclaimed journals and national centres, ensuring a vibrant research and postgraduate culture.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Medieval and early modern studies research at UWA aims to uncover the pre-modern world and the effect the past has in modern times.

Literary Studies

Literary studies research at UWA explores social and cultural concerns from the past and present through creative, written and visual literature.

Medical Humanities

Medicine is often thought of as solely aligned with the sciences. Medical humanities, however, examines how human elements such as gender, sexuality, race and class bear on understanding the human body from a medical perspective. This research investigates the power dynamics and effects of institutional care on individuals, community and state.

Translation and Transcultural Research

Understanding the social and cultural issues of translation and multilingualism, migration, transcultural identity construction and communication.

Environmental humanities

Bringing together data and stories relating to contemporary environmental issues and transforming them into high-impact visual and narrative resources.

News

Uncovering hidden treasures - Australian culture goes digital

A world-class archival quality Digitalisation Centre will be established through collaborations between UWA, all five WA Universities, the WA State Library and WA Museum.

News

2019 Prime Minister's Literary Awards

UWA professor's non-fiction book shortlisted for 2019 Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

News

2019 New Colombo Plan Study Tour

A group of 23 UWA French students have travelled to Tahiti, French Polynesia, to participate in the 2019 New Colombo Plan Study Tour.

News

From the page to the big screen

Half the Perfect World: Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra, 1955 – 1964, awarded Cascade Films deal

The Shakespeare Garden

UWA’s Shakespeare Garden is a walled garden next to the New Fortune Theatre and among the first of its kind in Australia. It includes almost 30 different plants Shakespeare mentioned in his plays.

New Fortune Theatre

The New Fortune Theatre is an exact reconstruction of London’s Fortune Playhouse originally built in 1600 as a rival to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Events

Event

Close to Home: Discovering Female Indonesian Writers

This event will highlight the work of female Indonesian writers who have challenged dominant narratives - Wednesday 4 March 2020.

News

Summer of cinema

From Monday 25 November - Sunday 5 April, we usher in another stunning Perth summer with Lotterywest Films bringing the best in world cinema under the stars at UWA Somerville.

Phone

Get in touch

+61 8 6488 1173

Email

Send an enquiry

ask.uwa.edu.au

Location

Arts Building, Hackett Entrance No 1 UWA, Perth campus

Map

Access

Weekdays 8.30am to 4.30pm

School of Humanities

Being human is an amazing journey